Luke Bell, Country Singer, Dead at 32

Country singer Luke Bell has died. He was 32.

Tucson Police Department Officer Frank Magos confirmed to TODAY on Tuesday that the “Where Ya Been?” singer was found dead in Tucson, Arizona, on Aug. 26. Bell, who was previously reported as missing, was found near where he disappeared, the Tucson PD told the New York Post.

Additionally, a spokesperson for the Pima County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed to TODAY that they have received Bell’s body. The investigation is on-going, and no further details were made available at this time.

The Cody, Wyoming, native was a former ranch hand and spent “a few years of college” in Laramie before pursuing his singing career, according to Bell’s Spotify bio. The artist released his self-titled debut album in 2012, and described his sound as “a little bit honky tonk and a little bit Texas, with healthy dashes of Bakersfield and vintage Nashville,” per the bio.

After dropping his sophomore album, “Don’t Mind If I Do,” in 2014, he would go on to open for acts like Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam and Hank Williams Jr. Bell released his last single, “Jealous Guy,” in 2021.

In an interview with The Boot, Bell said becoming a singer was “a big deal.”

“At the time, absolutely. It was a very different route to take; there aren’t any musicians in my family,” he told the publication in 2016. “College really wasn’t doing it for me, and I was looking for an independent platform to go learn, and music was that.”

As for finding his drive and being on the road, he said, “I live in the day, and I count smiles. That’s it.”

“Life’s not that bad. The downside, in some ways, is I don’t have a wife and kids, but at the same time, it’s pretty ideal right now,” he said. “I just travel around to other cities and hang out with other people.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com